Premier League Workington Comets 48 Ipswich Witches 41

IPSWICH ‘Sackers’ Witches cruelly missed out on a bonus point when Workington notched a last-heat 5-1 maximum at Derwent Park on Saturday.

The Suffolk side battled well throughout, despite No. 1 Taylor Poole failing to score a point.

But they just failed to get over the finish line and left Cumbria with nothing to show for their efforts, as they play-off hopes remain in the balance.

“It’s was all very disappointing,” said Witches boss Pete Simmons.

“Obviously Taylor (Poole) is struggling at No.1 and to have two riders score just one point between them and still push them so close is frustrating.

“Last year we were struggling to get 30 away from home, now we keep getting 40, but no more points for our efforts.

“I wanted to use Dakota North in the final race as he had been looking more livelier as the meeting wore on. But I couldn’t as he isn’t in the top three in the averages and he hadn’t scored enough.

“I went for Morten Risager instead, but their two were too good.”

The Witches found themselves behind from the off, but the Comets were indebted to Rene Bach for a fine piece of overtaking on Mat Tresarrieu and Leigh Lanham, who had both made good starts in heat three.

However, Ipswich were looking sharp from the start and when Rohan Tungate and flying reserve Morten Risager produced a maximum 5-1 score in heat four, the visitors were ahead.

Taylor Poole fell on lap two of the next, as the Comets hit straight back, but the Witches were making a real fight of things and Risager and Dakota North put them back on level terms in heat eight at 24-all.

Bach was flying, as he passed Tungate in the next and Roynon passed North on the line in heat 11.

But it was nip and tuck and with three heats to go the Comets were only two points ahead.

Heat 13 was dramatic, as first Taylor Poole completed a miserable night with a fall and was excluded. But in the re-run Adam Roynon also fell, leaving a match race between Richard Lawson and Tungate that the young Ipswich Aussie won well, lowering Lawson’s colours for the first time on the night.

The Comets put themselves into a three-point lead with one race to go.

Scorers

Workington: R Lawson 13+1 , R/R, R Bach 15 , T Aarnio 7+1, A Roynon 5, A Morris 3+1, M Campton 5.

Ipswich: mike

Heat details

1 Lawson, North, Morris, Poole 63.3 4-2

2 Campton, Risager, Nielsen, Morris (f) 64.5 7-5

3 Bach, Lanham, Tresarrieu, Aarnio 63.8 10-8

4 Tungate, Risager, Campton, Roynon (ef) 64.6 11-13

5 Bach, Aarnio, North, Poole (f) 63.6 16-14

6 Lawson, Tungate, Campton, Nielsen 53.0 20-16

7 Lanham, Roynon, Morris, Tresarrieu 64.5 23-19

8 Risager, North, Aarnio, Campton 64.8 24-24

9 Bach, Tungate, Aarnio, Nielsen (ret) 63.1 28-26

10 Lawson, Tresarrieu, Lanham, Morris 63.0 31-29

11 Roynon, North, Risager, Campton 64.6 34-32

12 Bach, Risager, Lanham, Morris 64.6 37-35

13 Tungate, Lawson, Roynon (f/x), Poole (f/x) 64.6 39-38

14 Aarnio, Risager, Morris, Tresarrieu 65.8 43-40

15 Bach, Lawson, Tungate, Risager 64.5 48-41

Workington 3pts. Ipswich 0pts.